Employees Weigh In on Working With Gina Zangrillo

by · WWD
Darien Sports ClubGeorge Chinsee/WWD

Doug Reilly, general manager and Gina’s son:

“She has a style about her. She makes very quick decisions. She embraces change more than anybody I think I’ve ever met. And so I think you have to be on your toes, and you have to stay flexible to work here. The story I heard before I started is, you’ll show up at 4 on a Friday and say we’re turning this floor upside down between now and 5:30. I don’t know if that means she’s tough to work for, but I think she empowers other people.”

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Aly Turchioe, director of men’s and women’s buying:

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“She’s not hard to work with, she’s fun, and empowers her people — and me — to try new things and buy more of something we think will work. She’s really smart and nobody knows more about this place than her. If you don’t take her advice, you’re stupid. If you don’t listen to her, you’re stupid, because she’s usually right. Every day is different, and I think she empowers us to try new things, and that’s how she’s been so successful.”

Maria Terrell, president:

“She’s definitely not tough to work for at all. She’s demanding, but she’s also encouraging and lets us take risks. She’s supportive, very detailed-oriented, which is actually the biggest plus of it all, because when you have a 45,000-square-foot store, you don’t see every detail every day, so it’s always nice for someone to be observant. It took me a year to realize it, but there is no one who knows Darien Sports Shop like Gina. And the people who come in and learn from her are really lucky.”

Diane Wooters, women’s stylist:

“I wouldn’t say Gina is hard to work for. I think she definitely knows what she wants, and already has a vision before she goes out onto the floor. That might seem hard to some people, but not to me.”

Trevor Harvey, senior sales associate in ski and sports:

“It’s a really great place to work, honestly. I started working here when Mr. Z was still very much in the picture, and came to check receipts every morning. Expectations are high, but I think that leads to us putting our best product forward for customers. It would be a lie to say it’s probably the easiest place to work, but do you really want to work at a place that’s easy? I like to think I’m pretty good at my job, and part of the reason I’ve been successful is that I’ve learned from this place how to operate and how you put your best foot forward for the customer, you put them above everybody else.”